
Courtesy of PLNK Fitness Studios
The COVID-19 pandemic has been hard on small businesses, but one St. Louis brand is growing despite the tough year.
In early October, Brooke Meek will open two new PLNK Fitness Studio locations in Omaha, Nebraska, and Tulsa, Oklahoma. The additions will employ 8 to 10 instructors certified in the celebrity-loved Lagree Method (which the boutique gym is known for), as well as 10 to 15 part-time employees.
PLNK, which uses a high-intensity Pilates-inspired workout, first opened in St. Louis in 2016. There are two locations in St. Louis; one in the Central West End and another in Frontenac.
The expansion comes just before PLNK is on track to hit an annual revenue of $2 million. The new locations were originally slated to open in July but were pushed back as the pandemic limited ability to purchase Megaformer equipment (which the Lagree Method uses).
In a statement, Meek said she looked for markets with demographics similar to St. Louis’. In 2021, she hopes to expand to Des Moines, Iowa; Memphis, Tennessee; and Northeast Arkansas.
"Expanding into new markets has been a goal for a long and we are confident we're taking all the necessary measures and steps to move forward," Meek said in a statement.